Disclaimer: D'you know how much I hate this? I've said it before, but if I had created PotO, I wouldn't be writing out my fantasies on a website, I'd be living in NYC, flying around the world so I could watch the performance in a different city each night.

Chapter XIV: The Sign of the Rose

Adrien stared into Erik's amber eyes, trying to process what he'd just said.

"Christine… Your Christine? The Christine you play for every night? The Christine whose gowns hang in the back of the closet? The Christine…" he broke off, shuddering a little. "The Christine you kidnapped, the Christine who left you?" he whispered.

Erik nodded once.

"How did… are you my real father?" Tears grew in Adrien's eyes as he attempted to sort out his life.

This time, Erik shook his head slowly.

"Your father is the Vicomte de Chagny," he said heavily, a trace of distaste in his words. "I believe Isabella mentioned him a few days ago, when she told us of how she arrived here."

He glanced at Isabella, who nodded, following along with the story.

"But that still doesn't explain why you raised Adrien and not the Vicomte and Christine," she said.

Erik sighed. "It was Christine's decision. Raoul didn't want me to –

"And for a good reason, too!" Adrien burst out suddenly. "He was my father, he cared about me!"

Erik flinched, and Adrien was instantly sorry for his outburst. In that moment, Erik looked the way Adrien had never dreamed of seeing him: old, weary, wrinkled, even vulnerable.

He spoke in a quavering voice. "Christine gave you to me, and I raised you. Go now… find the Vicomte, if you so desire… I shall be out for the day."

He strode abruptly from the room, leaving them staring at each other in his wake.

Adrien's eyes turned to the wall, where a portrait of Christine had hung for as long as he could remember.

Everything seemed more accentuated. Her eyes were deeper, her hair darker, the dark blue gown that she wore contrasting with the pale complexion of her skin. A rose lay across her lap, barely open and tied with a black ribbon – Erik's signature.

Adrien remembered when he had watched Erik sit and paint for hours, fallen asleep, and woke to find Erik still painting. He had seen Degas, Monet, and Picasso art and noted that all the artists signed their names.

Returning to Erik, he had asked, "Why don't you sign your work?"

And Erik had replied, "If you see anything under the sign of the rose, it is mine."

He had then taken Adrien to a room full of paintings and sketches, and always somewhere in the picture there was a rose with black ribbon. It became a sort of game, every day after; Adrien went through all of Erik's work, looking for the roses.

Looking at the rose now, Adrien realized it was more than a signature – it was a symbolic reference to the life Erik had once had. The rose was in every picture, and every picture was of Christine.

"Come with me," he said suddenly, taking Isabella's hand. They went to the room with Erik's portraits, and Isabella was taken aback by how many there actually were. Portraits hung from the walls, sketches strewn across desks and scattered over another, smaller piano.

"He… he did all of these?" she asked.

Adrien nodded. "And now I understand why."

Isabella was still taking in the different colors and outfits, the facial expressions and poses. There were pictures of the Masquerade, the Hannibal gala, and the infamous Don Juan Triumphant. Here, she was crying and scared. There she looked contented, happy even.

"He did all of these?" she repeated. "Why?"

"It was the only way he could truly be with her, all the time," he answered.

Isabella turned to him, and Adrien's eyes shone brightly with unshed tears.

"She was the only thing he ever truly wanted… and he was denied even that."

His head bowed, sobs wracking his body. Isabella embraced him, clearing away the tears.

"He still has you," she whispered softly. "He still has you."

Adrien grew hard once more and, lifting his head, said, "Let us go to the Vicomte."

The whole 'sign of the rose' was a reference to one of my favorite books, The Da Vinci Code. (soon to be a movie! Spring 2006!)